¿Quién está en línea?

Sindicación

Archivos

There should be stronger penalties for drinking and driving

By Joe Sellers

I am tired of seeing drunk drivers get a slap on the wrist and end up right back on the streets . This is an injustice and a slap in the face to the families who have been affected by some idiot who knew the dangers of getting behind the wheel after a night out drinking.

Every day people are killed accident lawyer reviews by someone who knew they should not get behind the wheel but did it anyway. It is always the same thing that is said over and over again. (I'm okay to drive) even though they can't walk a straight line to their vehicle. Over 19,000 people die every year and over 250,000 people are seriously injured in accidents involving alcohol.

In the US there is an accident involving a drunk driver every 2 minutes and that is unacceptable. The laws have to be changed and we need harsher penalties in place for anyone who gets a DUI. There are even people out there who have as many as 4 to 5 DUI arrests and are still allowed to drive a vehicle. There are stories on the news all the time talking about some accident where a family was killed by a person that already had several DUI arrests in the past. Driving is not part of our rights it is a privilege and when it is abused like anything else it should be taken away.

It is one thing to have a couple of beers or shots but when someone drinks for hours and is way over the legal limit gets behind the wheel of a vehicle should not be given a slap on the wrist. If it happens a second time your licenses should be suspended permanently and if you get caught again you spend a long time in jail.

The DUI laws have gotten better in some states but it is still not good enough. People with multiple offenses who are intoxicated get behind the wheel of a car and kills a person only has to serve anywhere from 3 to 7 years in jail and get this, in some states in can be as little as 1 to3 years for a vehicular manslaughter. What about the families affected by the drunk driver? 1 to 3 years compared many years of pain is not enough time for a repeat offender. Then in court they try to say that they are sorry and did not mean to hurt anyone and the judges let them off easy.

If you are double the legal limit you should be put in jail for at least 10 years. If you get in an accident where someone was seriously hurt, you should get at least 20 years and if someone dies and you are a repeat offender then you should get life without parole.

If you work in a bar and you know that this person is too drunk to drive and you do nothing you are just as guilty as that person. Even if you are in the bar as a customer you still need to step up and do something. If you don't agree with what I am saying then you are an idiot and have never been affected by a drunk driver. It is everyone's responsibility to step up and do whatever they can to stop that person. Now I am not saying you should fight with that person or cause yourself to get hurt but you should call the police and let them know.

Let me put it like this for the ones who don't agree with me. Say I was shooting pool in a bar and I noticed this man that was really drunk and getting ready to leave the bar. I just sat there playing my game as he stumbled out of the bar drunk and I watched him get in his truck and drive off and did not say anything.

Now your kids or whoever it may be was walking on the sidewalk and this man ran off the road seriously injuring or killing them. Then after the accident I walked over and told you or the cop that I saw this guy at the bar I was just at down the street. I saw him inside barely able to walk and watched him stumble to his truck.

How would you feel knowing that this did not have to happen and could have been easily avoided if I would have called the cops? I could have stalled the guy by asking for directions or even buying him another drink, or whatever I could think of at that time.

You still think you'd feel the same way then. Your family member would still be safe if all I did was call the cops. Think about all the times you have been out at a bar or club and saw someone who was too drunk to stand up and watched them get into their vehicle and you did nothing. You may even have laughed at him and said to yourself that this person is too drunk to drive and went on with your night like nothing happened.

Whatever happened to that person, did they make it home or did they get into an accident and kill someone you will never know. Just picture how you would feel to lose someone you love to a drunk driver. Would you want your loved ones to be in a car when a drunk driver is out on the street? I don't think so. You may even prevent someone from being killed.

We are losing too many people to drunk drivers and we need to do something now. Families fall apart when their loved ones die in an accident like that. Then there are some parents/kids/spouses that never get over the death of their loved one. If you have lost someone close to you then you know the anger and hurt that it causes. A lot of the time the drunk drivers are the ones who end up unhurt and able to walk away from the crash.

If you are out drinking make sure you have a designated driver that can take you home. Before you get in the car and drive off just picture what you could do to a family while driving drunk and think about that little baby or young child you could kill when you get behind the wheel of your vehicle.

Think of your child of family member and imagine how you would feel if they were killed because of a person under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Remember it is all of our responsibility to speak up. You never know the first time you step up and stop someone you could save the life of another person. It is better for them to be in jail then let them take an innocent life.

In some states they even have a number you can call for a tow truck to take you and your vehicle home free of charge during the holidays and Super Bowl Weekend. Just take a few minutes to call them to find out accidental lawyer what is offered in your state. It is called tow to go offered by AAA.

Even if you don't live in one of the states you can also take a cab home and get your vehicle later. It is not worth the damage you could cause to yourself or another person for something that can easily be avoided.

Thank you for taking this time to read this very important hub. I am asking everyone that reads this to PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT or an experience that has had an effect on you or someone you know because of a person under the influence of alcohol.You can also rate it up if you agree or down if you don't agree.Thanks again and please be safe out there on the roads.